PHOENIX – Before the horn sounded to signal the start of the third quarter, Grizzlies center Marc Gasol summoned his teammates for a pep talk on the court.

Memphis trailed the lowly Phoenix Suns by nine points after having owned a double-digit advantage. Phoenix then promptly padded its lead to 12 points.

However, Gasol & Co. responded by replacing frustration with fierce defense and finding an offensive rhythm.

The Grizzlies charged ahead 78-75 near the end of the third period when rookie Kobi Simmons intercepted a Suns inbounds pass and darted in the lane for an uncontested dunk. The play prompted Suns coach Jay Triano to call for time as the Grizzlies’ bench erupted with excitement.

Memphis outscored Phoenix by 11 points in the third led 81-79 entering the final period. The back-and-forth affair in Talking Stick Resort Arena ended with the Grizzlies suffering a 97-95 loss — their 19th defeat in the past 21 games.

Here are five other quick thoughts from the game.

Evans on track until fourth quarter

Grizzlies guard Tyreke Evans rebounded from a poor shooting night Wednesday at Golden State by making five of his first six shots against the Suns. Evans contributed greatly to the Grizzlies getting easy baskets early in the game with his strong drives to the rim. Evans scored a team-high 23 points but missed a step-back 3-pointer that could have won the game at the final buzzer. Evans misfired on 7 of 8 shots in the fourth quarter.

Grizzlies took ill-advised 3-pointers

Inexplicably, the Grizzlies fell in love with the long ball on a night they were dominant inside. Memphis began the game scoring 18 of its first 21 points in the paint. Memphis entered the fourth with 48 points (24-of-35 shooting) in the paint. Gasol ended the third by misfiring from three-point range. The Grizzlies’ first offensive possession in the fourth quarter ended with a JaMychal Green air ball on an attempt from beyond the arc. Granted, some of the Grizzlies’ 3-pointers were emergency attempts with the shot clock expiring. Rookie Dillon Brooks connected on a bail-out shot that gave the Grizzlies a 92-90 lead midway through the fourth period.

Tracking Daniels

Former Grizzlies sharpshooter Troy Daniels drew significant attention defensively. Daniels scored nine points in his first six minutes of action. Griz guard Ben McLemore was told to smother Daniels when he entered the game. The first time McLemore lost him, Daniels buried a 3-pointer that cut Memphis’ lead to 25-24. McLemore later fouled Daniels on a three-point attempt. Evans and Andrew Harrison also took turns trying to slow down Daniels. The guard, who the Grizzlies traded during the offseason, had just two points after his initial spurt. But Daniels’ 3-pointer with 17 seconds left gave Phoenix a 97-95 advantage.

Kobi again showed promise

The Grizzlies have rookie guard Kobi Simmons on a two-way contract, meaning he splits time between the NBA franchise and the G-League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle. Griz coach J.B. Bickerstaff glued veteran Mario Chalmers to the bench in the second half and inserted Simmons, who made an immediate impact. His energy helped the Grizzlies during that third-quarter run. After his dunk, Simmons stole the ball at mid-court and fed forward James Ennis for a wide-open 3-pointer.

Wright returned to Griz rotation

Reserve forward/center Brandan Wright played after missing the previous nine games with a groin injury. Wright was given limited minutes in the first half when he logged just three minutes. But he showed no ill effects from the injury that cause him to sit for a five-game stretch from Nov. 20-29.

Quotes of note

Daniels, a former Griz, on his game-winning 3-pointer for the Suns: “It feels great, I can tell you that. I would rather for it to be on them than anybody else. I didn’t say anything, that’s not me. But it was great to hit it against them.”

Evans on the final play: “I looked back and thought to call a time out but (interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff) said go so it was kind of a hesitant move by me. I thought I could have gotten to the basket but I kind of stepped back and shot a three. But it shouldn’t have come down to that. We had them early in the game but we didn’t do a good job of keeping the lead.”

Bickerstaff on how the game played out: “That’s what it comes down to. Two teams, similar circumstances coming off a back-to-back, how many plays do you make? In two-minute ball games, it’s a matter of who makes the most plays and who makes the most mistakes and they made one more play then we did.”

Bickerstaff on the last play: “It’s Tyreke and Isaiah Canaan in a one-on-one situation. I like my chances with Tyreke in that situation every time. I didn’t want to call the time out. (Evans) had the opportunity to go get a bucket.”

Gasol on fourth-quarter offense: “(Evans’ miss) is not what determined the game. I thought many plays before we had chances of getting the shot that we want. It may not be a great shot but at least it’s a shot you’re comfortable with. We have too many guys worrying about offense. If we don’t play defense, we’re not going to win.”

Suns coach Jay Triano on defending Evans late in the fourth quarter: “I thought maybe, for one the few times all night, we did a pretty good job containing him. We didn’t give him an angle. If you shade one way or the other, he’s going to go by you. And that was probably one of the first times all night we were very square with him, made him take a shot over the top.”